


I've been waiting, dove

by SuperMazeWolf



Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Bottom Merlin, Fluff and Angst, Fluff and Smut, Merlin - Freeform, Merlin/Arthur - Freeform, Merthur - Freeform, Modern Era, Other, Smut, Top Arthur
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-12-08
Updated: 2016-01-31
Packaged: 2018-05-05 09:56:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 2,969
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5370995
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SuperMazeWolf/pseuds/SuperMazeWolf
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Merlin waited thousands of years.<br/>He had adapted to the modern world, but he hasn't forgotten about his old life, especially Arthur.<br/>On the news, the reporter announced that a man, about 28-32, had been found in the English channel, alive. That's when Merlin's life started to colorize.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Did you miss me

**Author's Note:**

> GAHK. I got into the Merlin BBC TV series fandom. (HOW CAN 5 SERIES MAKE ME SO EMOTIONAL?)
> 
> I IMMEDIATELY STARTED SHIPPING MERTHUR
> 
> FORGIVE ME LORD, FOR I HAVE SINNED.

MERLIN'S POV

Merlin had been waiting for at least 2,000 years for Arthur. He didn't want to forget him, so he bought a small house near the 'English Channel' and always kept the news on, using his magic to listen to the news when he wasn't home. He desperately clung on to the tiniest of memories, Camelot, his mother, his friends, Arthur, especially him. Merlin always seared the memories into his brain. 

Arthur... Arthur had blond hair, didn't he? Yes, blond. Perfect blond. Piercing sky-blue eyes, he couldn't forget those eyes. Pale and a muscular body, slender yet rough hands and fingers, a smile, the gorgeous smile that always made Merlin feel special, and the most important memory. When Arthur had shown genuine affection towards him, when he had stroked Merlin's hair as he died, the words "Thank you," the eyes full of peace and love, and the final moment where the king had left the world, in Merlin's arms. Merlin had never cried so much in his life before, he had cried until he couldn't see, nor could he hear. He was screaming, yelling, begging, telling Arthur's dead body that he couldn't lose him. But of course, it was all in vain. So Merlin set him on a boat and watched it drift though the calm waters, towards the other side, and as he watched the boat float slowly, Merlin knew, knew it, knew the fact, that Arthur would someday return, and Merlin would wait until he did.

Merlin sighed. He hardly maintained his youthful looks, he had no reason to. He could, indeed he could, but it would only attract more attention to himself than an elderly man, so he chose not to maintain his youthful look. Unless Arthur came back. He would occasionally shift back, though, just to remember his face, so he could remember Arthur's expressions when he had commented on Merlin's face. Merlin, sometimes, even went out of his house, to a coffee shop, with his youthful look. He only went to the coffee shop when he had the looks of a 26-30 year old man, letting a sigh pass as he drank his coffee. 

And then the news had come, and Merlin was on his feet, running.  
Hope flared in his chest.

ARTHUR'S POV

When Arthur awoke, all he could feel was coldness. He couldn't hear a thing, and when he opened his eyes, it hurt, so he closed it again, only to realize that it was _water._ He realised that he couldn't breath, he couldn't hear, he could hardly see anything even if he opened his eyes, so he assumed that he was under water. He only saw a shimmer of sunlight, somewhere up there... And then suddenly, his body jerked upwards, out of the water, onto a... boat? Land? Who knew. 

He finally heard voices, murmurs, in fact, and a cloth being draped over him, a hand nudging his shoulder. "You alright, dude?" Arthur couldn't move, but inside of his mind, he frowned. What was with the wording? Was he not in Camelot... He remembered. Hadn't he died? Hadn't he died in Merlin's arms, peacefully, dutifully? The hand nudged him again, and Arthur managed a groan, a small groan, and he heard rustling. He was cold. Extremely and explicitly cold. 

"He's awake, get, I don't know, call the bloody ambulance!" 

"Bloody hell, how the hell did he get in _there?_ " 

Arthur felt frustration creeping up his spine, but he couldn't speak, and clearly, something was different. So he stayed still, only opened his eyes a tiny bit to see 2 men leaning over him, familiar yet distant. The men scrambled back suddenly, as if Arthur was a sorcerer. "W..." Arthur's voice was cracked, raspy, and it hurt to move his mouth. "Agh," he let out a small sound and brought his hand to his chin, nearly flinching when he felt his own cold hands. "I think he's trying to say something," one of the men said, and Arthur wanted to laugh. Of course he was, didn't they see his mouth moving? "Bloody... The ambulance is arriving soon," another man said, and he walked over to Arthur as well. Arthur felt vulnerable, he hated it, and he felt weird, like he was in another universe. 

Arthur, with all of the strength he could muster, pushed himself up, muffling a hiss of pain by gritting his teeth. He gripped his side, and he felt blood. What? He looked down, ignoring the protests of the men, and saw the sticky liquid on his hands. He wanted to groan in frustration and throw something, but of course, he was helpless. He was wearing white tunic, familiar once again, and brown pants, undergarments, and that was all. His white tunic was soaked in water and blood, and he felt woozy seeing the liquid on his hands. 

The so-called ambulance arrived, and Arthur, instinctively, scrambled back away from the people and... what was that? Something on wheels, made with metal, something on the top, flashing colorful lights. A loud noise, a horn-like siren-y noise, pierced his ears, and he wanted to cover it, curl up and scream. He was terrified, but it didn't seem to show on the outside. 

A woman in a white suit slowly came near him, in a relaxed stance. She wasn't hostile, Arthur decided. "Sir, we're going to have to take a look at that wound. Can you remember you name? Anything at all?" Arthur opened his mouth, and managed his name. "A...Arthur," he spluttered, breaking into a cough afterwards. "Last name?" Arthur frowned for a moment. Why was she asking him all of these irrelevant questions? Before he could think, he heard himself speak. "...Pen...dragon...?" His voice ended in an almost uncertain way. "Arthur... Pendragon... Get him in the vehicle, he's in shock. Make him sleep if you have to," she called out, and a group of people quickly took something out of the... vehicle, a bed-looking thing with wheels on it, and rolled it towards Arthur. When the people slowly helped him up, Arthur tensed visibly, hissing in pain when his wound was strained. "He has a stab wound," a woman called out. "Carefully! Hurry up now, we haven't got much time." 

Arthur, although he tried to resist, was somehow in the so called 'vehicle,' on a bed surrounded with unknown people, with something on his face which helped him breath. He was dehydrated, but his eyes were heavy, and he felt sleepy, so he slowly drifted off to sleep, as much as he didn't want to. 

MERLIN'S POV 

Merlin raced to the hospital announced on the news, dodging and slipping through the crowd of people. His plaid button-down t-shirt was quite visible, so when he raced into the hospital, a woman yelled at him to slow down. "How may I help-" "Is there a man, named, um," Merlin grew frustrated at the second, "Arthur Pendragon? Arthur?" The woman looked quizzically at him before looking down at her computer, searching. "Yes, he's on the 3rd floor, he just arrived. He's currently under surgery, you need to wait." "Thank you ma'am," Merlin said quickly, trying to run off. "Do you know him?" The woman asked, before Merlin could go. "He's... a close friend," Merlin put it, and he went. 

-3 hours- 

Merlin looked up as the door opened, hope shining in his eyes. The doctor looked at him and smiled, telling him everything. "Mr. Pendragon's currently resting, his wound was about to be infected, and he had severe hypothermia. He seems to be in shock, we can't do anything about that." He stopped, looking at Merlin. "Is your name Merlin, sir?" "Yes sir, I believe so." The doctor smiled. "Good. He was muttering your name under his breath the whole time, I think he wants you. We'll let you in the room, just let him rest. He'll be fine without anything special, it wasn't that bad." Merlin sighed in relief. "Thank you, sir." The doctor smiled and walked down the hall, turning and opening the door towards the main room. 

Merlin stepped into the clean room, breath hitching when he saw him. The man he had been waiting for, and emotion exploded from his chest. He pulled a chair, setting it next to the bed as the steady beating of the heart monitor soothed him. He sat, and with all of his bravery he could possibly muster, took Arthur's hand in his own hands, the hand the same as last time. 

Arthur still had the beautiful blond hair, the muscular and pale body, the peaceful look when he slept, everything. Merlin felt tears threatening to fall, and he quickly wiped it away, returning his hand to Arthur's hand. Merlin fell asleep that way, clinging onto the hand of the man he had waited for. 

ARTHUR'S POV 

Arthur awoke in a white room, and his hand was covered. He looked to his side and his breath hitched. He saw Merlin, his love, holding his hand, sound asleep. Arthur let out a chuckle and Merlin stirred, yawning, adorable green-blue eyes staring up. Blue eyes met blue, and a smile was on Merlin's face, so wide and so beautiful that it took Arthur's breath away. Merlin didn't say anything, only lean up to kiss his forehead, until Arthur grabbed his face and pulled him into a kiss, an actual kiss, which Merlin responded to immediately. 

Through a smile against lips, Arthur murmured something that made Merlin cry. 

"Did you miss me?"


	2. Live with you forever

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Arthur got out of the hospital.
> 
> And time kept going.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HueueueueUEUEUEUEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEUEUEU

MERLIN'S POV

_(Merlin had seared in the average man's knowledge into Arthur's head while he was sleeping. There was no time to waste in learning things that kindergartners would, so he used magic.)_

He felt warm and jumpy the next morning. Merlin had sat by Arthur's side, occasionally using his magic to hide from the hall monitors and nurses taking night shift, glancing around when Arthur shifted. When he awoke, the first thing he felt was a hand on his head, and he heard a small chuckle.

"Good morning, Merlin." And that was that. So familiar. It was the regular voice filled with sass, the regular voice filled with annoyance. The perfect voice that rang in his ears, the perfect voice that Merlin had missed. So he replied, how he would usually reply. 

"Good morning..." After a moment of hesitation, he added the word. "Arthur."

He heard Arthur let out a satisfied huff. Then he proceeded to say something that surprised Merlin quite a bit. "What's the exact date, Merlin?"

Merlin frowned, but answered immediately, "October 11th, 2015 sir-I mean, Arthur." 

Arthur chuckled and moved his hand away from Merlin's head. "Is that so?" 

"I-Yes." Merlin hoped with all his heart Arthur wouldn't ask about Camelot, but of course, no luck.

"What happened to Camelot after I...left?" 

Bloody wanker's gonna get some, Merlin decided.

"Guinevere Pendragon ruled the land for the most part." Merlin stopped. "Go on," Arthur encouraged.  
"I over heard a conversation I wasn't supposed to hear. She had told a man that he would never replace you, Arthur Pendragon, but he would have to do. It seems like she never got over your death, but she learned to move on."

"Camelot was in peace for a while, it was as if your death brought forth a blessing to the lands," Merlin scoffed. "There were hardly any wars, nor battles, hardly any hardships to overcome. But over time, the lands slowly shifted, immigrants came and went, the kingdom of Camelot was slowly being turned into a modern world. But Camelot stood dutifully for a long, long time, and it finally came to an end. Guinevere's grave is located somewhere along here, I've... I've kept them sanitary for a while." Merlin finished the explanation, and he looked up.

Arthur's gaze had not left Merlin, and Merlin saw a small shine. It wasn't a shine of happiness, it was a shine of sorrow and regret, regretting not being there, sorrow for having to leave. But Merlin saw something behind the grief, he saw a glimmer of pride. He was proud of the kingdom that once stood, he was proud of the people who had learned to move on, and he was full of pride that he had helped with the kingdom of Camelot. "Did you go back to the kingdom?" Arthur asked quietly, his voice gentle. Merlin hesitated, but answered. 

"It was too painful for me, Arthur. I really... I mean, I visited, but I didn't want to..." Arthur's eyes were glimmering with something Merlin had never seen before, but he knew it was something related to sadness. It was, maybe, love. 

So Merlin reached up and gently touched Arthur's face, so gingerly and carefully, brushing away one tear that was threatening to fall, and he pulled Arthur into a firm embrace. Arthur reciprocated immediately, pulling Merlin closer, staying still as his breathing altered slightly. Merlin smiled slightly. 

"Arthur." Arthur swallowed and muttered quietly, "Yes?" "Did you not love Gwen? I though you thought of me as a friend." It was silent for a moment. 

"Merlin, Guinevere was my love. You, Merlin," Arthur said, pulling away so that he could see Merlin's face, "You're my life, as cheesy as that sounds. You, and only you, gave me a reason to keep going. I thought it was Guinevere that was keeping me going, but it seems that I was wrong." 

And that was the 100th time Merlin fell in love with Arthur. 

2 weeks passed quickly, being at Arthur's side. 

ARTHUR'S POV 

And then there they were, at Merlin's house. It was quite cozy, medium-sized with white brick walls, plants surrounding it, red shutters and such. Arthur approved of the house, fascinated at the modern-day apartments nearby. Ever so often, he would point to something and ask Merlin about it, and Merlin seemed to like it, as weird as it sounded. Merlin gave him occasional glances, as if checking to make sure he was still there, so Arthur would kick Merlin's shin every time he glanced back. 

"I'm not leaving, Merlin." He heard Merlin chuckle. 

"I would hope not." Another chuckle. 

Arthur sat up from Merlin's bed, the one he had been laying in all while Merlin was cleaning. Merlin glanced over and rolled his eyes, walking over as he said, "Arthur, M'lord, you need to sleep-" Arthur interrupted him with a kiss, smiling triumphantly when Merlin fell speechless. "I need to get used to that, don't I?" Merlin asked, blinking. "Yes." And Arthur kissed him again, more passionately this time, and he felt Merlin slump slightly. 

"This early?" Merlin muttered on Arthur's lips, making Arthur smile slightly. He pushed Merlin down gently, but at the end, he didn't stay patient. "Ar-ah, Arthur," Merlin gasped, feeling Arthur grind himself against him. "Shut up," Arthur muttered, trailing kisses down the other man's neck. Light nibbles, kisses, touches, everything seemed to be in rhythm as the two made love. It was euphoria from that point. 

Arthur returned his kisses to Merlin's lips, nibbling slightly at Merlin's bottom lip and involuntarily, his lips parted. The two clashed for dominance, but Arthur won over, skin against skin, lips against lips. Arthur managed to get the clothing off of the two, and they were naked, desperate for each other. The skin-to-skin contact was overwhelming, but it was in a good way. 

(And I'll leave the rest to your imagination. I know. WHAT THE FUCK SUPERMAZEWOLF, WHAT THE FUCK? I don't even care anymore yo) 

MERLIN'S POV 

"What the hell is that?" 

"What the bloody hell is that thing?" 

"How does this work?" 

Arthur kept repeating the same questions over and over again, but at a new thing ever time. Merlin acted like he was annoyed, but he wasn't, in fact, he was quite happy that Arthur was asking _him._ So he kept explaining, taking him to different places everyday in a bloody _car,_ to restaurants, to shops, to the cinema nearby, to famous landmarks, and every time, Arthur would be fascinated. 

Merlin was happy. Really. Really. Happy. 

Merlin's magic was draining out everyday, but he didn't notice. Partly because Arthur was there with him, and partly because he didn't want to be immortal. He could easily stop the leak of magic, but he didn't. He wanted to grow old with Arthur, wanted to be with him his whole life, wanted to mourn and join him at the least. So he didn't stop it, he let it go. He stayed with Arthur, until they both aged. Until they both died. 

Merlin and Arthur died on a snowy day, December 24th. (If you're a true fan, you'll know why I chose this date) 

Their heartbeats stopped exactly at the same hour, same minute, same second. 

They died holding hands, smiling peacefully on a rather comfortable hospital bed. Merlin holding Arthur close, Arthur stroking Merlin's soft hair. 

(See you in the epilogue!)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know it seems lazy, but I didn't know how to make the smut scene, like, fucking SATISFYING. Don't hate me ;-; also, I was planning to continue this, but I'm lacking motivation, so I'm only adding an epilogue after this. Hue hue, it will be finished almost instantly... I hope.


	3. Epilogue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, sorry it took so long... I forgot about this part

Merlin stepped into the cafe, a scarlet scarf wrapped lazily around his neck. He rubbed his arms and looked up at the menu.

"How may I help you?" A voice cut through his thoughts. Merlin's gaze shifted to the man in front of him, and he nearly stopped breathing.

Golden hair, blue eyes, pale but tanned skin, lopsided smile... Everything was familiar.

Too familiar.

"I...uh..." Merlin couldn't bring himself to say anything. Those blue eyes stared back at him, then the barista muttered a single word.

"Merlin."

Merlin felt his eyes widen.  
Of course.  
"Arthur."

Perhaps it was the small amount of magic Merlin had left when the two had died before. Perhaps it was a holy being giving them a second chance. 

And then Arthur Pendragon said something that made Merlin fall in love all over again.

"I've been waiting, dove."

And that was that.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bye

**Author's Note:**

> Soon, my dove. Soon.


End file.
